Rifle

Record Scores Carry MIT Past VMI in Rifle

Sophomore Sarah Wright

Feb 08, 2014

LEXINGTON, Va. – Numerous individual records and a school record team score in air rifle helped the MIT rifle team down a squad from the Virginia Military Institute by a final combined score of 4476-4458. The Keydets took the small bore competition, but despite difficulties with getting their equipment delivered in time for the match, the Engineers bounced back with a school record air rifle score of 2270 to take the overall title.

Sophomore Sarah Wright (Christchurch, New Zealand) finished off her small bore shooting with a 99 in the final kneeling round to complete a career best score of 577, taking top individual honors in the contest by 17 points. VMI, however, took the next three spots led by a 560 from Andrew Hickey to take the team honors by a final of 2213-2206.

Freshman Jia Yi Goh (Singapore) had the next highest score for MIT, turning in a 552 in her first small bore action of the season, while senior Kaiying Liao (Issaquah, Wash.) carded a 542 for the Engineers. Wright was not the only one to set a career-high in the event, as sophomore Abra Shen (Toronto, Ontario) and freshman Kelly Mathesius (Aurora, Ill.) both bettered their previous marks with a 535 and 526 respectively.

Records kept falling in air rifle as four of the Engineers posted personal bests to lift the team to the school record score and a 2270-2245 besting of VMI. Wright again led the way, firing a pair of 98s on her way to a personal best of 574 and top overall honors. The Engineers had the top three scores in the match, with Goh just behind Wright with a 572 and Liao upping her career-best to 567. Shen and Mathesius also bettered their previous career marks in air rifle as well. Shen included a 95 in her round of 557, while Mathesius also had a 95 in her final score of 542.